Currently, vehicles are manufactured to provide a plethora of control features. For example, electronic control units in a vehicle receive information from various vehicle electronics to control particular devices, such as power windows, power mirrors, power locks, air conditioning, etc. In addition, vehicles are often equipped with electronics and sensors that provide continuous information concerning the operational condition of the vehicle so that vehicle owners, armed with this knowledge, can make informed decisions about the safety, repair, and maintenance of their investment.
These systems, while useful, utilize a significant amount of electronic components and physical wiring. For example, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors associated with a vehicle's tires broadcast the status of the tire pressure of each tire to a remote function receiver (RFR) module in the vehicle. The RFR module is physically coupled (either by a discrete wire or network bus) to a body control module which, in turn, communicates this status information to a vehicle operator when, e.g., tire pressure is low. The TPMS sensors can broadcast information but are not equipped to receive communications. In another example, passive entry passive start (PEPS) systems, which provide the ability for individuals to unlock the vehicle doors and start the vehicle without physically handling the vehicle's key fob, require that several ferrite core antennae per vehicle be situated in various locations in the vehicle, such as the front, middle, and rear end portions of the vehicle interior, as well as in the exterior door handles. The PEPS antennae allow for communication to and from external systems (e.g., key fob or smart phone). Each of the antennae is physically wired to a dedicated PEPS module.
It is desirable to provide a vehicle system that performs the functionality of the TPMS sensors, the passive entry passive start system, the remote function receiver, and other components using fewer electronic modules, antennae, and less physical wiring than are typically associated with such systems.